Boeing will plead guilty to criminal fraud conspiracy to resolve a U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) investigation linked to two 737 MAX fatal crashes, the government confirmed in a late Sunday court filing. The agreement allows Boeing to avoid a courtroom battle but complicates efforts to overcome a crisis sparked by a mid-air panel blowout on an Alaska Airlines flight.
The deal follows a DOJ finding in May that Boeing breached a 2021 agreement that shielded it from prosecution over crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia in 2018 and 2019, which collectively killed 346 people. Originally, the 2021 agreement halted prosecution as long as Boeing complied with its terms.
Pending judge approval, Boeing’s guilty plea could seriously impact its ability to secure government contracts, including $14.8 billion in 2022 Defense Department contracts. Financial penalties in the agreement total $487.2 million, and the company will likely pay additional restitution to crash victims’ families.
